Practical Demonkeeping

In Christopher Moore's ingenious debut novel, we meet one of the most memorably mismatched pairs in the annals of literature. The good-looking one is one-hundred-year-old ex-seminarian and "roads" scholar Travis O'Hearn. The green one is Catch, a demon with a nasty habit of eating most of the people he meets.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun

Take a wonderfully crazed excursion into the demented heart of a tropical paradise - a world of cargo cults, cannibals, mad scientists, ninjas, and talking fruit bats. Our bumbling hero is Tucker Case, a hopeless geek trapped in a cool guy's body, who makes a living as a pilot for the Mary Jean Cosmetics Corporation.

Coyote Blue

With New York Times best-sellers like Bloodsucking Fiends to his credit, Christopher Moore has developed a devoted cult following. Coyote Blue introduces Samuel Hunter, a young man who's running from his past while being tormented by an ancient Crow God with a talent for mischief.

Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings

Just why do humpback whales sing? That's the question that has marine behavioral biologist Nate Quinn and his crew poking, charting, recording, and photographing very big, wet, gray marine mammals - until the extraordinary day when a whale lifts its tail into the air to display a cryptic message spelled out in foot-high letters: Bite Me.

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story

A striking red-head, 20-something Jody is attacked and transformed into a vampire while walking home one night in downtown San Francisco. Befriending 19-year-old Tommy, Jody tries to understand her new undead life, but trouble finds her when the cops start suspecting Tommy of being a local bloodsucking serial killer.

Fool: A Novel

Pocket has been Lear's cherished fool for years. So naturally Pocket is at his brainless, elderly liege's side when Lear demands that his kids swear to him their undying love and devotion. Of course Goneril and Regan are only too happy to brownnose Dad. But Cordelia believes that her father's request is kind of...well...stupid, and her blunt honesty ends up costing her her rightful share of the kingdom and earns her a banishment to boot.

Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art

In July 1890, Vincent van Gogh went into a cornfield and shot himself. Or did he? Why would an artist at the height of his creative powers attempt to take his life... and then walk a mile to a doctor's house for help? Who was the crooked little "color man" Vincent had claimed was stalking him across France? And why had the painter recently become deathly afraid of a certain shade of blue? These are just a few of the questions confronting Vincent's friends who vow to discover the truth of van Gogh's untimely death.

A Dirty Job

People start dropping dead around Charlie, giant ravens perch on his building, and it seems that everywhere he goes, a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Strange names start appearing on his nightstand notepad, and before he knows it, those people end up dead, too. Yup, it seems that Charlie Asher has been recruited for a new job, an unpleasant but utterly necessary one: Death.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

Verily, the story Biff has to tell is a miraculous one, filled with remarkable journeys, magic, healings, kung fu, corpse reanimations, demons, and hot babes. Even the considerable wiles and devotion of the Savior's pal may not be enough to divert Joshua from his tragic destiny. But there's no one who loves Josh more (except maybe "Maggie," Mary of Magdalan) and Biff isn't about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight.

The Serpent of Venice: A Novel

Venice, a really long time ago: Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy from Britain who also happens to be a favorite of the Doge: The rascal-Fool Pocket. This trio of cunning plotters have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising a spirited evening. Their invitation is, of course, bogus. These scoundrels have something far less amusing planned for the man who has consistently foiled their quest for power and wealth. But this Fool is no fool.…

Hell's Super: Circles in Hell, Book One

Steve is hell's super, its handyman. Being Mr. Fixit to the underworld keeps him and his assistant, Orson Welles (yes, that Orson Welles), pretty busy, since things go on the blink all the time down there. No malfunction has ever created so much inconvenience, though, as the malfunction of hell's escalator, which leads from the pearly gates to the depths of Hades. What's worse: The breakdown appears to be sabotage.

The Reluctant Demon: Circles in Hell, Book 4

Steve Minion attends Beast Barracks, where he learns both the arcane and mundane arts of being a servant of the Devil. Strength, speed, and endurance are all part of a demon's physical makeup, but he must be taught to be sneaky, cruel, and ruthless and of course to ignore personal hygiene. As Steve begins work as a full-fledged bad guy, he must confront the inevitable: demons exist to torment the damned, and Hell's former handyman-in-chief doesn't seem to have the stomach for the work.

The Good, the Bad and the Smug

New Evil. Same as the Old Evil, but with better PR. Mordak isn't bad as far as goblin kings go, but when someone or something starts pumping gold into the human kingdoms, it puts his rule into serious jeopardy. Suddenly he's locked in an arms race with a species whose arms he once considered merely part of a healthy breakfast.

The Outsorcerer's Apprentice

A happy workforce is a productive workforce. At the moment, the Wizard's employees are neither. The goblins are upset with their working conditions, the dragonslayer has thrown a hissy fit over his medical insurance (or lack thereof) and everyone is upset about the terrible canteen coffee. Yet the Wizard hasn't got time to worry about revolution in the workplace - he's about to see his brilliant business plan (based on entrepreneurial flair and involving one or two parallel worlds) disrupted by a clueless young man.

Razor Girl: A Novel

When Lane Coolman's car is bashed from behind on the road to the Florida Keys, what appears to be an ordinary accident is anything but (this is Hiaasen!). Behind the wheel of the other car is Merry Mansfield - the eponymous Razor Girl - and the crash scam is only the beginning of events that spiral crazily out of control while unleashing some of the wildest characters Hiaasen has ever set loose.

Spirit House

A farang is dead and the Bangkok police have a confession the next morning from a young paint-thinner addict. He claims he killed Ben Hoadly, an expat Brit, but Calvino has his doubts when he sees heavy bruises on the kid's face. In no time, Calvino is working both sides, out to find the killer for Hoadly's wealthy father, and eager to clear the addict's name for a beautiful friend who runs a charity in the slums.

Gil's All Fright Diner

Duke and Earl are just passing through Rockwood county in their pick-up truck when they stop at the Diner for a quick bite to eat. They aren't planning to stick around-until Loretta, the eatery's owner, offers them $100 to take care of her zombie problem. Given that Duke is a werewolf and Earl's a vampire, this looks right up their alley.But the shambling dead are just the tip of a particularly spiky iceberg.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.

Doughnut

Things have been going pretty badly for Theo Bernstein. An unfortunate accident at work has lost him his job (and his work involved a Very Very Large Hadron Collider, so he's unlikely to get it back). His wife has left him. And he doesn't have any money. Before Theo has time to fully appreciate the pointlessness of his own miserable existence, news arrives that his good friend, a renowned physicist and Nobel laureate, has died. By leaving the apparently worthless contents of his safety deposit box to Theo, however, the professor has set him on a quest of epic proportions.

The Authorities

Sinclair Rutherford is a young Seattle cop with a taste for the finer things. Doing menial tasks and getting hassled by superiors he doesn't respect are definitely not "finer things". Good police work and bad luck lead him to crack a case that changes quickly from a career-making break into a high-profile humiliation when footage of his pursuit of the suspect - wildly inappropriate murder weapon in hand - becomes an Internet sensation.

Hard Luck Hank: Stank Delicious, Book 5

Belvaille has cemented its place as the most important system in the galaxy and Hank is working as an official Factotum, negotiating deals between gangs and noblemen under the watchful eye of the Arch Minister. When his ever-capable butler, Cliston, is approached to become the General Manager of a Super Class glocken team, Hank is hired not only as protection, but as a player. Hank finds himself thrown into the most grueling bloodsport in the galaxy and tasked with finding out how and why players are being abducted.

Good Omens

The world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday. Just before dinner, according to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655. The armies of Good and Evil are amassing and everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.

The Secrets of Supervillainy: The Supervillainy Saga, Book 3

Merciless, the Supervillain without Mercy (TM), is back with even bigger problems! How far will he go to fix his wife's current state of being a soulless vampire? Can he ignore his growing feelings for Cindy, despite their difference over the new Star Wars movie? Can he survive the wrath of the president of the United States (whom he accidentally stole billions from)?

Antonio Stevens says:"The story was ok but overall it was outstanding."

Master of Formalities

Even when finding oneself engaged in interstellar war, good form must be observed. Our story is set thousands of years after the Terran Exodus, where two powerful, planet-dominating families - the elegant House Jakabitus and the less refined Hahn Empire - have reached a critical point in their generations-long war. Master Hennik, the Hahn ruler's only son, has been captured, and the disposition of his internment may represent a last and welcome chance for peace.

Publisher's Summary

The town psychiatrist has decided to switch everybody in Pine Cove, California, from their normal antidepressants to placebos, so naturally - well, to be accurate, artificially - business is booming at the local blues bar. Trouble is, those lonely slide-guitar notes have also attracted a colossal sea beast named Steve with, shall we say, a thing for explosive oil tanker trucks.

Suddenly, morose Pine Cove turns libidinous and is hit by a mysterious crime wave, and a beleaguered constable has to fight off his own gonzo appetites to find out what's wrong and what, if anything, to do about it.

What the Critics Say

"Moore is Daniel Pinkwater for grownups, but a lot funnier; and his irreverent antics reveal a buoyant wit and surreal authority even while rendering the emotional range, sex life, and murderous tendencies of a sea monster." (Publishers Weekly)

I stumbled across this author in a bookstore looking for a book-on-CD before taking a long road trip. The sales clerk recommended "Island of the Sequined Love Nun". What a discovery! Truly laugh-out-loud funny. After that, I downloaded "The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove", which was equally funny. Both books start off a little slow ... but they take off quickly, and then it's quite a ride. Oliver Wyman does such a great job narrating, especially with the wide variety of characters that Moore presents. I can see that not everyone will like Moore's offbeat humor, but his characters are very human and his narration and commentary convey a dry wit that often doesn't translate well. Highly recommended.

What does Oliver Wyman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr. Wyman, thank goodness, is possessed of excellent comic timing, which is the difference between life and death for a book this silly. He can also handle a number of voices without making any of them seem stereotypical, which is essential for a book with this many characters, most of whom you are encouraged to love. This is no mean feat, and he does the job perfectly.

Any additional comments?

Christopher Moore's work tends to have gangs of lovable misfits menaced by some crazy monster (or in some other bizarre situation) in a way that permits more serious reflection on a few larger issues. (In Lust Lizard, it's the wide prevalence of overprescribed Prozac, and how we deal with sadness in our lives.) His work feels like it's in a direct line of descent from Kurt Vonnegut through Tom Robbins, with a relative of Carl Hiaasen somewhere in the lineage. The magical-realist philosophical caper comedy. If this is your thing, Lust Lizard is a terrific example of the genre. If you're never tried it before, this isn't a bad place to start.

As always Christopher Moore is sick twisted and hysterically funny. I got pulled over my a copy because I was laughing so hard in the car on my commute. Highly recommend this if you want to laugh and maybe feel a little bad for a Lust Lizard.

What about Oliver Wyman’s performance did you like?

You could hear the difference in all the characters without crazy theatrics

What made the experience of listening to The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove the most enjoyable?

Having already read a few of Christopher's novels as well as listened to a few others, The Lust Lizard proved to be another book right in his wheelhouse -- a few interesting real life themes (drugs, both prescription and illicit, along with the trusted professionals who promote their abuse; psychosis and psychiatry; and environmental disaster), a broad array of memorable characters, and Moore's signature device, a fantastical, mythological, or supernatural entity, in this case the title character, an aphrodisiac and a maneater (who comes to be known, simply, as Steve). Not as laugh out loud funny my Moore favorites (Fool, Lamb, Sequined Love Nun), nor as ambitious as his most recent, Sacre Bleu, but definitely chuckleworthy in the vein of Practical Demonkeeping, Moore's first book which is set in the same fictional California coastal village as Lust Lizard, with some of the same characters.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove?

To say that I am unable to answer this question testifies to both the strength of Lust Lizard as well its major weakness -- it is an unending series of equally good comic moments and scenes, too difficult to choose one over all the others. But then that's the rub -- as good as each scene may be, as all the scenes are, none rise to the level of truly memorable. Good, not great. Very good, in fact, but not great.

Which scene was your favorite?

That said, since this question seems to be only marginally different the previous one, the one scene that marginally rises above the others, more for its originality than anything else, is Catfish's retelling of his long-ago close encounter with the Lust Lizard. The difference is that it is told in his own voice, in first person, as he is recounting it to Estelle, rather than in the narrator's third person voice elsewhere in the book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Comedy is a medium of diminishing returns -- you can only laugh so much in one sitting. Better to experience it in bursts. Especially in this case, since Lust Lizard is told from the point of view of so many different characters (including the beast and a dog, in addition to all the humans) -- I preferred to listen to it in bursts over a period of time.

Any additional comments?

Some of the supernatural elements in Moore's novels go too far over the top -- the demon in Practical Demonkeepring when he gets maniacal, the evil goddesses of A Dirty Job, the strange direction Fluke goes in after a charming start, even ultimately Bleu and the Colorman in Sacre Bleu. But the Lust Lizard is one of his most believable fantastical creatures, credibly explained within the real world. For me, that's a positive (although, to be fair, it's fun to imagine, as Moore often does, how truly supernatural characters would behave in the real world).

As the title says, quirks don't always make for a good story. Having listened to other Chris Moore books, I was eager to dive back into another one of his humorous yarns that generally leave me satisfied and wanting more. Typically, his characters are offbeat but well conceived. However, I was really disappointed by this outing. I never found myself engaging with any of his band of highly quirky characters (including a stoner constable, a loony B-movie actress, a stereotypical blues player, a reclusive and awkward scientist and cardboard cutout of a sheriff). The story also left me wanting - the "monster" was generally bland, and it's single-minded desires were also never well explained or explored. It seems the author was more intent to give all of his characters as many quirks and odd behavioral patterns as he could, without ever really trying to give them any grounding or plausible existence. As a result, the book lurched around, plodding from scene to scene without ever finding its voice or encouraging the listener to follow along and get involved in the story. I would skip this for other Moore titles like "A Dirty Job".

Never heard him before but the title was intriguing and the reviews were good so I gave it a shot. Initially I wasn't thrilled but the whacked characters and situations grew on me. Now I'll be looking for other titles. And the narrator did a wonderful job with the different voices.

I just love the characters of Pine Cove. The story line is hilarious and the characters just wonderful. I've fallen in love with the place and am thinking of moving there. Oliver Wyman is possibly my favorite narrator so far (and I've listened to quite a number of audible books). He is able to completely take on the character and gender of the residents of Pine Cove, so much so that he is like a complete cast of actors. He was even able to do a convincing upper class British accent with credibility - and that's coming from a me, a Brit!

At first, I wasn't sure I was digging the pace of this story, and I wasn't sure just how all these odd elements I'd read about in the summary were going to fit together. I was pleasantly surprised. The writer brought out a lot of evolutionary biology inspired aspects of Steve the sea monster which really made the story more realistic (at least as realistic as a story about a sea monster can get), and the whole town being off their meds was the perfect catalyst for a good ride. The premises Moore used were believable and fit together so well, and the guy has such a great sense of humor, that really came out in this book. Give it a listen. I definitely recommend it!